Qian Xingzhi was gracefully invited to the private room on the second floor of the teahouse.
Once upon a time, she and Lu Yu had jointly planned a grand counterattack against the Third Prince, and afterward, they had chatted over tea here.
But today, Lord Lu's expression was far from pleasant. Could it be because she had summoned him so often lately? Qian Xingzhi suddenly felt guilty, especially since she had come to "interrogate" Lu Yu. Not long ago, he had gone out of his way to help her berate Liang Shi'an, and before that, he had helped her countless times.
With that thought, Qian Xingzhi instinctively put on a flattering smile: "Lord Lu, I do have something important to ask."
How should she ask? 'I suspect you've been secretly spreading rumors about my mystical abilities, causing the Third Prince to spout nonsense?' She couldn't directly expose Yin Tan, and now she racked her brains for how to broach the subject, momentarily regretting her impulsive invitation.
Fortunately, Lu Yu also had something to discuss with her. Seeing her hesitate, he spoke first: "I also have something important to talk to you about. The Crown Prince has indeed been watching the Seventh Prince, as expected. You've done well. Yesterday, His Majesty proposed a major renovation of Consort Wen's palace, but Empress Luo blocked it. I want you to push this matter forward."
Meddle in the harem? Not long ago, as a member of the Third Prince's faction, she had spoken up for the Crown Prince, and now she was supposed to protect the Seventh Prince's mother. This was too much of a "betrayal." Who knew how impulsively the Third Prince would react this time?
"This..." Qian Xingzhi hesitated. "Why would His Majesty suddenly want to renovate Consort Wen's palace?"
"That's unclear," Lu Yu took a sip of tea and changed the subject. "What did you want to ask?"
Qian Xingzhi steeled herself: "Ever since the Full Moon Tower incident where everyone was enslaved, there have been many rumors about me in the capital. I wanted to ask you, my lord, to level with me—will my reputation get worse every time you assign me a task?"
"Yes," Lu Yu didn't evade. "I told you from the start: this is the path the Imperial Astronomical Bureau of Nansheng must walk."
So last night's report from Yin Tan was almost certainly connected to Lu Yu. Qian Xingzhi also took a sip of tea to calm herself: "Can you tell me the reason, my lord?"
Lu Yu didn't answer directly: "I also want to know—after the commotion at court, I gave you a reason to distance yourself from Liang Luming. Why didn't you take it?"
He refused to look her in the eye, staring at a drifting tea leaf in his cup, clearly unsettled. Qian Xingzhi quickly realized how dangerous her change in behavior must seem to Lu Yu.
She had been entangled with Lu Yu, taking advantage of him, then reluctantly married Liang Luming, only to immediately get close to her and even flaunt their affection right before Lu Yu's eyes.
How could she answer? It was all an act? No. She had been too invested in supporting Liang Luming; if that was all pretense, then her previous confessions to Lu Yu could also be dismissed as acting.
Cold sweat broke out on Qian Xingzhi's forehead. She looked through the small window at the shop across the street, where Liang Luming was sitting idly waiting for her, chatting with A Su.
"It's not what you think, my lord," Qian Xingzhi tried to find a suitable excuse. She had never imagined being caught between a man and a woman, having to appease one after the other.
In her panic, she reached for the teapot to pour tea, but the water spilled along the rim. Startled, the teapot lid rolled off, circled around, and stopped in front of Lu Yu.
Lu Yu glanced at the lid, finally looked up at her, and sneered: "I'm all ears."
"Miss Liang is not a bad person," Qian Xingzhi said while gauging Lu Yu's expression. "She was also dragged into this unwittingly. After talking with her, we've reached a peaceful coexistence, helping each other out."
Thinking she should demonstrate loyalty, Qian Xingzhi waved her hands frantically: "There's absolutely nothing else between us!"
'Peaceful coexistence, my foot!' Lu Yu cursed inwardly. With the two of them spending every day together, it was only a matter of time before they developed feelings. 'Love will grow over time.'
Forget Liang Luming—Qian Xingzhi could talk a good game and charm anyone. She was someone to be guarded against thoroughly.
"Whether you have any feelings or not has nothing to do with me," Lu Yu finally dropped his cold demeanor. "Even if you were to cook for her, it's only proper."
'Didn't you ask me first?' Qian Xingzhi thought Lu Yu had been acting strangely lately. Maybe the weather was getting to him?
Besides, what was that weird description about 'cooking for her'?
A vague suspicion arose in Qian Xingzhi's mind. Emboldened by some unknown source of courage, she turned to Lu Yu with a grin: "Lord Lu, you wouldn't be jealous, would you?"
It had been a long time since Qian Xingzhi had teased Lu Yu like this. The man before her instantly flushed bright red, clearly not having expected such a blunt question. He seemed half-angry and half-embarrassed: "Nonsense!"
She immediately recalled the joy of teasing him in the past—his shyness seemed genuine, not an act. Even though he was secretly planning some grand scheme behind her back, when it came to matters of the heart, he was purely passive.
"I originally thought..." Qian Xingzhi's playful spirit took over, throwing caution and fear to the wind. She lowered her gaze shyly, saying, "that you would distance yourself from me because of my marriage. Maybe you aren't entirely indifferent to me, are you?"
"Shameless!" Lu Yu was genuinely furious now. Though he was always swayed by inexplicable emotions around Qian Xingzhi, to say he had feelings for her was absurd! Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!
'Maybe I went too far.'
Just as Qian Xingzhi was about to apologize and back down, Lu Yu flicked his sleeves and stormed out of the room in a huff.
Perhaps by tomorrow, the capital would be buzzing with news of 'Qian Xingzhi's failed attempt to curry favor with Lu Yu, who stormed off in anger,' sending her reputation plummeting even further.
When she emerged from the teahouse, Liang Luming came up to her. Having witnessed Lu Yu's departure, she looked worried: "Didn't you say you were discussing official business with Lord Lu? How did it end up like this?"
"Oh," Qian Xingzhi pulled Liang Luming closer and whispered, "It wasn't official business. I can't explain here—let's go back to the mansion first."
Intrigued by her secretive manner, Liang Luming asked, "Not official business, then private? Do you have a grudge against Lord Lu?"
At the mention of that scandalous novel and the big misunderstanding that led to her cross-dressing, Qian Xingzhi couldn't help but laugh, eager to get home and tell Liang Luming the whole story.
Seeing her take it so lightly, Liang Luming pulled her into a small alley: "Do you know Lord Lu's methods? Even my father can't figure out how he established himself back then. Many veteran officials who made trouble for him were uprooted completely. He's deeply calculating—you must be careful! If you provoke him, there will be no good end for you."
Qian Xingzhi swallowed hard: "It doesn't seem that serious? I can't talk here. Let's go back first."
The group hurried back to the mansion. Once inside the inner chamber, Qian Xingzhi, struggling to suppress her laughter, recounted the whole story. Liang Luming listened, blushing and horrified.
"You're insane!" Liang Luming paced anxiously in the room. "If you were just treating him like a brother, that would be one thing! You could still gain some advantages by being a bit restrained. But why did you have to..."
Why did you have to tease him! Liang Luming couldn't even bring herself to say it. The thought of Lu Yu being flustered by a woman disguised as a man was terrifying. She implored earnestly: "If he finds out you're a woman, Qian Xingzhi—you!—you will be utterly doomed!"
Her voice rose with agitation, and Qian Xingzhi quickly shushed her. Even if this was Qian Mansion, there shouldn't be anyone eavesdropping outside the window.
But it did seem like a dead end. A wave of fear washed over Qian Xingzhi: "You don't know—before, he felt guilty and thought I had feelings for him. How could I refuse in that situation? By the time I realized it, I had gone too far. Recently, I had 'washed my hands' of it, but today he acted so much like he was jealous..."
Her voice trailed off. Qian Xingzhi also thought that if Lu Yu ever discovered the truth, he would surely tear her limb from limb.
"Confess!" Liang Luming assumed an interrogating posture. "Are you actually in love with Lord Lu?"
For some reason, being asked this by Liang Luming made Qian Xingzhi blush too: "Nonsense. I just think it's fun."
"Really?" Liang Luming looked skeptical. "If you don't like him, then why do you enjoy teasing him so much? If you truly had no feelings, you'd stay far away."
Qian Xingzhi shook her head frantically. This was a real injustice! She just thought Lu Yu was good-looking, wielded power in Nansheng, yet was bafflingly innocent—it was too amusing. That was why she couldn't resist teasing him.
At that moment, just outside the wall, Lu Yu felt as if struck by lightning.
Heaven knows, he had no habit of eavesdropping on a married couple. He had only come to retrieve a token kept with Yuan Mo and had brought Yuan Bai along.
He had seen Qian Xingzhi and Liang Luming cuddling all the way, sneering with disdain, but now he was rooted to the spot.
He hadn't heard much, but he'd clearly caught the phrase: "If he finds out you're a woman."
Qian Xingzhi... is a woman? He recalled the past events slowly—that night he accidentally saw Qian Xingzhi in women's clothing, Yuan Qing mentioning a maid named "Zhixing" in Qian Mansion...
How could he have imagined that a woman from a refugee background could rise so high? Cheating princes, currying favor with royal power, sparring with him—and even telling him she was here for revenge.
Lu Yu began to regret being so certain that Qian Xingzhi was a man in disguise. It was his oversight. It wasn't that Qian Xingzhi had covered her tracks perfectly; he simply never expected a woman to possess such abilities.
Lu Yu felt he had underestimated her.
Strangely, there was no expected anger. After a brief shock, Lu Yu accepted Qian Xingzhi's female identity with remarkable speed. Everything seemed to fall into place, and he no longer had to agonize over handling emotional entanglements with a man.
Lu Yu felt an inexplicable urge to burst out laughing and scare Qian Xingzhi and Liang Luming half to death. But soon, he thought of a much more interesting solution.
Yuan Bai came up behind him and said softly, "Master, the item is obtained."
Lu Yu turned around and smiled at him: "Well done. Let's go."
Yuan Bai: ?
He was praised just for getting an item? What was up with the master today? Hadn't he been wearing a sour face ever since his meeting with Qian Xingzhi?
As they continued on their way, usually silent, Lu Yu suddenly said, "Nice weather today."
Yuan Bai: ?
'When I get back, I must call Yuan Qing over to check.'
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Author's note: Thank you to everyone who irrigated with nutrient solution and left comments [red heart]
(Unfortunately, I can't see comment content without real name registration [poor face])
Recently preparing for exams, updates may be unstable. I'll try to double update tomorrow, or one on Tuesday and two on Wednesday.
Also, I just discovered today that I've been using quotation marks wrong all along. I'll unify the format in future revisions [glasses]